Taking Risks

… We can’t create new something if we’re doing what we’ve always done — and we’re likely to keep doing what we’ve always done unless we tap into the muscle memory beneath the surface of our thinking brains that moves us through life and relationships … No matter how mindful we become about what’s happening inside of us — no matter how much we tune in with the stirrings of the depths of our soul — no matter how deeply we want to work with others to see relationships transformed — unless we play with actual movements — new ways and new rhythms of existing — we’re likely to stay stuck, or just continue on with life as it’s always been …

Trying new things is scary. It’s hard. It involves risk.

Staying stuck is painful. It’s heavy. It can feel like death.

And while I’m not sure how you experience these things, I know for me, I can carry a gut wrenching tension between longing for new and restored ways of moving through life against a deep fear of taking risks. We tend to trust what we know, even if what we know is exhausting us, harming us, or keeping us stuck in a place we don’t want to be. So what does it take to try something new? If only there were simple answers…

While I’d love to offer some sort of profound and foolproof way to try out new ways of moving through life that guaranteed you’d experience things like freedom, connection, and peace that you might be longing for, I know it’s just not that simple. Trying new things inherently includes taking risks, and risks are scary. We all carry younger and vulnerable parts of ourselves with us through life, and these risks tend to be especially scary for them — and of course they would be! If we don’t yet know what the outcome of something new will be, and if there’s a chance something new might backfire, why wouldn’t we feel the weight of that risk?

While there are no guarantees in taking risks, I have found tangible and gentle ways to explore new movements that have been helpful for me, something I’d love to share with you in this last episode of New Rhythms. Listen in to hear more, and check out the link below for free guided audios on Insight Timer to play with these new movements.

I also want to say thank you for journeying with me through these last few weeks of a new podcast season! After this week, I’ll be taking a breather, and then continuing on with my regular stream of consciousness stirrings in written form :)

If you like to see the formal introduction to podcast episodes… here you go!

Restoring Movement: In this episode, join me to slow down and get curious about specific new movements we can play with in our formation — a series of movements that come from the Satisfaction Cycle, developed by Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen.

This podcast episode has an experiential playlist of guided meditation audios on InsightTimer. These are part guided meditation, part psychoeducation, and part experiential movement. All completely free. The playlist can be found by searching for A. C. Seiple on InsightTimer, and locating the playlist entitled: "Mindfulness & Movement," or you can find the first audio of this playlist by clicking this link. There is a sequence of 5 audios that were created to be listened to in order (1-5) with a an optional bonus episode exploring how these movements may have been complicated in spiritual experiences, along with the ways we long to explore these movements in our spirituality.

New Rhythms is also available on Spotify & Apple Podcasts (click either for a direct link).